Facebook has just updated its iOS app with a couple new features that make it easier to chat with your friends and share multiple photos. You can now swipe left anywhere in the app in order to see who’s available versus hitting the icon in the upper left to bring up the slide-out interface to hit Chat. Even more importantly, the program finally lets you share multiple photos at once and add friends you message most to the top of your Favorites.

UPDATE: As noted by many of our readers in the comment section, there seems to be a problem with this Facebook update. We recommend you stay away from it until Facebook can figure out what the problem is…

When sending messages, the program also indicates who’s online. Finally, you can gift real gifts to your Facebook friends, though this feature is U.S.-only.

These features bring the Facebook client on par with the company’s Messenger and Camera apps.

From iTunes release notes:

• swipe left anywhere in the app to quickly see who’s available and send a message • add friends you message most to the top of your Favorites • share multiple photos fast • give real gifts to your friends using Facebook Gifts (US-only) • when sending messages, see who’s active so you and your friends know how soon to expect a reply

Well, the whole point of the messenger app was so it was lightweight and if you only wanted to message people you didn’t have to boot up the full Facebook app. So I would say it is entirely up to each person’s opinion whether it is useless or not.

Joe Bingham

Now that the Facebook app is a native application, and not basically just the mobile web page, boot up isn’t a problem anymore. But, like you said, the messenger app is probably for those who use Facebook to chat with their friends and don’t care about posts, photos, and whatever.

http://www.facebook.com/siggen Sigurd Bøe

Of course, and people can be wrong too.

I am contemplating deleting the Messenger app. But I will try using the Facebook app for chatting a while first. Also I would like to have more data on the notification possibilities for chatting and the Facebook app.

Must try the update on my iPad as well, to see if it is worth it there to. Right now I am using a hacked up version of the original Facebook Messenger app which I am able to make almost full iPad support. (except for the login screen which I don’t use anyway).

Matt Arnold

Yeah, no longer need the camera or messenger app since the facebook is now fast enough to no longer have to worry about it being slow when you just want to chat.

http://www.idownloadblog.com/author/dujkan Christian Zibreg

On second thought, I’d rather they keep these separate. I have two Facebook accounts so I’m logged in to one via the full-blown app and for the other I’m using the Messenger app. This way, my iOS device can receive chat messages sent to both accounts, which isn’t possible if you only use the Facebook app.

http://www.facebook.com/people/Ian-Woodward/652923975 Ian Woodward

Yes same issue here Joe. I decided to sign out and sign back in. Can’t sign back in. It comes up as logged into iOS as me with a button to continue then brings up an error saying “There was an error signing in using Single Sign On”. It then prompts me to enter my password manually which brings up another error message saying “Login Failed. Sorry an unexpected error occurred. Please try again later. Error code: 2 (FBAPIErrorDomain)”
I have rebooted iPhone, uninstalled and reinstalled Facebook app and signed out of Facebook via iOS and tried to sign into the app both signed out of iOS and signed into iOS.
The Facebook integration in iOS is working as I have posted a photo via the share button within photos and confirmed it has posted via the web on my Mac.
Seems v5.1 of the Facebook app is currently broken for signing on.

http://twitter.com/tarak4rmUS Tarak

I am on 5.1.1 Untethered JB., Also my friend for who the app is working can no longer login when we tried to logout and log back in,so may be some server issues 2…

http://twitter.com/doubleaa25 Adham

Looks like when I updated Facebook everyone unfriended me.

http://twitter.com/doubleaa25 Adham

I also tried logging out and logging in again to see if it would fix it. Don’t do it. You will not be able to log in.

http://www.facebook.com/arnel.zantua Arnel Zantua

same here and i try to log out and log in again it always show error occured

wswalex

can’t log in also… any help here?

Matt Arnold

try deleting the app and reinstalling.

wswalex

nope… didn’t help, I delete the app and sync again with old one from itunes

http://twitter.com/tarak4rmUS Tarak

Tried the update, I can no longer see news feed,tried logging out and now it even not allowing me to login, My friends update on Iphone 5 is fine ,Is this flaw with only JB users or random,….Fb need to push a patch it seems …..

szamal

Can’t log in on stock 6.0.1 ipad 3

http://twitter.com/tarak4rmUS Tarak

I am on 5.1.1 Untethered JB., Also my friend for who the app is working(ios 6.0 on iphone5) can no longer login when we tried to logout and log back in,so may be some server issues 2…

szamal

It worked on my iPad too except news feed was empty. On 5.1.1 jb iPhone 4 same thing so i don’t think it depends what device or os version you have the app is just broken

http://www.facebook.com/people/Ian-Woodward/652923975 Ian Woodward

If you have not backup your phone since updating facebook but u do have a recent backup (either local or iCloud) then a Restore to latest backup without transferring purchases allows you to roll back to previous version of Facebook app

http://twitter.com/tarak4rmUS Tarak

Thanks for the info, as my phone is JB , i can roll back to old version instantly , but looking forward to why only some user’s had this problem and Not all…

http://www.facebook.com/antman217 Anthony Antunez

Are you kidding me do they not test their app for these major bugs before they submit their app? Now I can’t see any posts and I signed out and now I can’t sign back in -____-

Update: Looks like its ok now, I was able to login after an hour of leaving the app alone and everything is fine now.

szamal

App is broken. After updating it claimed i have no friends (that is just cruel). Tried logout and login but i get an error trying to login.

http://twitter.com/KraKsX KraKsX

Do they not test the app first? App now worthless.

http://twitter.com/leotecasi Leo Telles

Ok, it’s very cool update, just deleted fb camera…but now how you can delete something you’ve posted or hide something your friend just posted?

http://www.facebook.com/sanil.chitrakar Sanil Chitrakar

Seems like everyone is having problem with this update. I think i’ll wait for another update then. I always stay offline in fb chat anyway.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=831330491 Chris Anson

the “add friends” issue seems to be fixed. I got a push notification from a post and noticed it was working.

Answering my own question. When you click the menu button on the left, the gear on “News Feed” lets you pick.

http://twitter.com/TeginThomas Tegin Thomas®

Just updated. Found no issues like mentioned. Works perfect ..

Matt

everything seems to work fine for me but (and I don’t know if anyone said it already) still no option to share a picture posted by another person/organization/group? sometimes i’d like to share a funny photo and can’t do it, gotta wait until i get in front of my desktop..

SimonReidy

Same goes with sharing links (or anything else for that matter). Resharing is such an important part of Facebook, it’s strange it’s been missing since they released their last big update. And now this latest update is causing tons of problems for users.

You’d think a social network company worth billions could do better.

http://twitter.com/TeginThomas Tegin Thomas®

The chat notification still sucks.

Too_Kool

update:

for all those of you who are having issues with the latest update i ve a working solution tested by myself:

follow the steps below:

to do this ur iphone must be jailbroken.

1. download and install iFile from cydia
2. goto preferences–>file manager–>application names set to ON
3. navigate to the path:
varmobileAplicationsFacebookLibrary

now goto each folder individually i.e Chaches Cookies and Preferences.

now delete all files in these folders. respring iphone and u have a working facebook app.